Saturday 6 February 2010 19.10 EST
First published on Saturday 6 February 2010 19.10 EST

Scotland, rugby and riches are words not often read together in the same sentence, yet north of the border they have been quietly going about cornering the market in that most sought-after rugby commodity, the Test-quality prop. In particular, those of the tighthead persuasion.

If you doubt the value of such men then consider the care shown by Ireland as they hope the 36-year-old John Hayes will last another campaign. Or the furrowed ­English brows as Martin Johnson wonders what to do while Phil Vickery recuperates and Matt Stevens serves his ban. The return to fitness of Adam Jones ahead of yesterday's England match was greeted with the kind of chorus normally reserved by the Welsh for their fly-halfs. Throughout the build-up to the Six Nations it has been props who have taken centre stage.

There just do not seem to be enough to go around, yet Scotland play France at Murrayfield today with two ­excellent specimens on their books – Euan ­Murray, a Lion in the summer and ­generally acknowledged as being close to world class – and Moray Low. The latter is, in theory, Murray's understudy but he clearly believes he is more than able to take on the French while Murray takes the Sabbath off, on ­religious grounds.

"I was available for selection. Euan wasn't," said Low after Scotland announced last week that Murray would play for the A side on Friday. "We've got to respect his belief. It gives me an opportunity to go out and start and to prove a point. It's one that I was looking forward to. It would be interesting if the game was on a Saturday, to see who he would have picked. But for me it's an opportunity to go out there and keep that jersey."

The confidence is obvious, but well supported. Murray has been on the radar for a while now, playing for Northampton. However, the improvement in the Glasgow player's game has been eye catching. After his Test debut in the autumn Mike Brewer, 29 times an All Black and until last summer a Scotland coach, was particularly impressed. "He's improved a hell of a lot and he looks like he can improve a lot more," said Brewer, who now works with Fiji. Six months earlier he would have said Low was not up to the job. "This time he gave both our looseheads a hard time."

The All Black might also have mentioned that the 26-year-old was also impressive in the open, throwing his near-18st about so enthusiastically that he won the man of the match award and made light of Murray's absence through injury. Now, with Murray ­having decided just before Christmas that his ­religious beliefs meant he would not be at ­Murrayfield today, Low reckons he can go one step further.

"This is my first start in the Six Nations and it's going to be pretty much a full crowd as well. I'm going out there to make a mark for myself and more importantly for the team.

"I was pleased with the autumn. To beat Australia was massive and the Fiji game – my first start – gave me a lot of confidence. I learned a lot as well. Now I've got to go out there and put a marker down leading up to when Euan's back for selection in the next game. I've just got to go out there and prove a point and likewise with him."

For the moment, everything seems to be going Low's way. There are eight other Glasgow players in today's team and he has just renewed his contract at Firhill. He even wishes that Fabien Barcella, an 18st French prop with a reputation to match his size, was in ­opposition today.

Barcella was part of a pack that tore South Africa apart in November and Low reckons he would have provided a ­"challenge". "I played against him when Biarritz came to Glasgow but the guy [Thomas] Domingo that's in, he's just as good and it'll be just as hard.

"I know what I need to do against him. He's quite small. He likes to get underneath you and he's quite strong. But I know the tactics I need to use, I've talked to Massimo [Cuttitta, Scotland's Italian scrummaging coach] about what I need to do but I'd rather not put that all over the papers."